A Retrospective Study of Clinical Outcomes Following Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery

Abstract

This retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the outcomes of Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS) in 63 eyes with cataracts at Kantharalak Hospital. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics to outline baseline characteristics and complications. For analytical purposes, the Friedman test was employed to assess overall differences in visual acuity across three postoperative time points (day 1, week 2, and month 2). When statistically significant differences were identified, post-hoc pairwise comparisons were conducted using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with Bonferroni correction. A p-value of less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. The mean age of the patients was 69.8 years (SD= 8.2), with a majority being male (63.5%). Common comorbidities included hypertension (50.8%) and diabetes mellitus (33.3%). The most prevalent type of cataract in this study was mature cataract (76.2%). The analysis revealed a statistically significant improvement in visual acuity (p < .001) from a preoperative baseline of predominantly Hand Motion. At the 2-month follow-up, the median unaided visual acuity improved to 20/40, and pinhole visual acuity improved to 20/30. The most frequent intraoperative complication was posterior capsule rupture (11.1%), followed by zonule dialysis (3.2%). Common postoperative complications included hyphema on the first day (25.4%) and posterior capsule opacification at two months (4.8%). In conclusion, MSICS is a highly effective and safe procedure for achieving rapid and safe visual rehabilitation in patients with mature cataracts, making it particularly suitable for the resource-constrained context of community hospitals.